See now this is a post I half wrote and made no sense because I did not finish it and then I had to remember what I am on about in order to finish it.
I have a new job in a hat museum in stockport https://www.stockport.gov.uk/topic/hat-works
This was not that novel to me as I see textiles, working class history and expression through clothing and textiles, and museums everywhere. However I am realising it is novel to others. It made me think about my practice and how rooted it is in where I am from. I use textiles, at least in part because I have grown up going to days out, galleries and museums, that contain textile art, clothing, embroidery, banners, hats, home dcor, etc. It is also quite gendered which may have also subconsciously fed into my practice, industry and machinery for men, textile factories for women. Then also the clothing and homewares are very gendered displays.
I have always thought of the making I do as contained within my family, passed down through the women, but the roots are probably in the industry of the area and the importance and expression and improvement through and of crafts.
I heard something similar a while ago on a podcast called sew what where the woman being interviewed talks about visiting the Whitworth art gallery and the textile displays there and her expression of her roots and culture/ multicultural background through the textiles she makes through weaving.
https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/upcomingexhibitions
Chelsea Swan 
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